Specific Needs Drive Technology

Within the beauty industry, salons ride the trend wave, creating cutting-edge styles with cutting-edge products. For brands, stylists become the client’s beauty advisor, their recommendations making or breaking a purchase. Therefore, marketing strategies must showcase how products complement the creativity of the stylist to maximize their enthusiasm for them. Education and communication between salons and brands are key elements of any strategy.

“The biggest difference in marketing for salon products versus other retail outlets is that we have a unique opportunity to speak directly to stylists,” said Lori Green, director of marketing, American Crew. “This opens up a much larger range of subjects that we can discuss with them, most importantly, education. It’s not just about the products and what they do for hair; it’s also about how the products fit into their styling techniques, with their salon tools, and help them to become better [artists].”

Stylists choose brand lines not just for the products themselves, but also for how those products complement the salon’s consumer base. The right mix of product offerings is a pillar of a salon’s business.

“We aim to provide the salon with maximum opportunity to generate more business, and our products help to provide the tools to do this,” said Nathalie Tang, vice president, Redken Global Marketing. “Our products are tailored to different hair needs and concerns fueled with the latest technologies. In this way, the hairdresser can prescribe the right regimens to fit their clients’ needs.”

Ergo, the most successful brands are both consumer-friendly and an instrument of the stylist.